Hanawalt House, pre-renovation

La Verne’s Hanawalt House has been restored and was unveiled to the public on Wednesday. I couldn’t make it out to the wilds of La Verne for the 3 p.m. ceremony, but here’s some history courtesy of the University of La Verne, which owns the building.

The house, at 2058 2nd St., was built in 1908 for W.C. Hanawalt, the fifth president of what was then Lordsburg College. The house features Queen Anne and Eastlake architectural attributes and its foundation was made of concrete blocks — a rarity for private residences in those days, apparently — by Hanawalt’s half-brothers.

(They later assisted in building La Verne’s iconic Church of the Brethren.)

In 1973, Hanawalt’s second wife, Pearl, sold the house, which is on the campus grounds, to the university, which used it as offices. A 2004 fire caused major damage — oh no! — but an extensive renovation put it back into service, retaining its historic character while allowing modern uses.

The downstairs now features two meeting facilities — the Palmera and Lordsburg rooms — and a smaller receiving salon, Pearl’s Parlor. The upstairs is home to the university’s Alumni Relations and Special Events offices. The surrounding grounds have also been replanted and upgraded.

Participants in Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting were to include University of La Verne President Steve Morgan, Mayor Don Kendrick, Historical Society President Galen Beery and Hanawalt family representative J. Clair Hanawalt.